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A28 U.s. news
Dialuna 22 november 2021
GOP embraces natural immunity as substitute for vaccines

(AP) — Republicans fight-
ing President Joe Biden’s
coronavirus vaccine man-
dates are wielding a new
weapon against the White
House rules: natural im-
munity.
They contend that people
who have recovered from the
virus have enough immunity
and antibodies to not need
COVID-19 vaccines, and the
concept has been invoked
by Republicans as a sort of
stand-in for vaccines.

Florida wrote natural immu-
nity into state law this week
as GOP lawmakers else-
where are pushing similar
measures to sidestep vaccine
mandates. Lawsuits over the
mandates have also begun
leaning on the idea. Con-
servative federal lawmakers
have implored regulators to
consider it when formulating
mandates.
if you survive, you do have from earlier infections should vaccine mandates for private workers.
Scientists acknowledge that some level of protection be enough to earn an exemp- employers allows people to
people previously infected against getting infected in tion from the mandates. duck the requirement if they In separate lawsuits, others
with COVID-19 have some the future and particularly have already had COVID. are challenging local vaccine
level of immunity but that against getting serious in- “We recognize, unlike what rules using an immunity de-
vaccines offer a more con- fection in the future,” said you see going on with the And the debate is not unique fense.
sistent level of protection. Dr. David Dowdy of Johns federal proposed mandates to the U.S. Russia has seen
Natural immunity is also far Hopkins Bloomberg School and other states, we’re actu- huge numbers of people A 19-year-old student who
from a one-size-fits-all sce- of Public Health. “It’s im- ally doing a science-based ap- seeking out antibody tests to refuses to be tested but claims
nario, making it complicated portant to note though that proach. For example, we rec- prove they had an earlier in- he contracted and quickly
to enact sweeping exemp- even those who have been ognize people that have natu- fection and therefore don’t recovered from COVID-19
tions to vaccines. infected in the past get addi- ral immunity,” Florida Gov. need vaccines. is suing the University of
tional protection from being Ron DeSantis, a Republican Nevada, Reno, the governor
That’s because how much vaccinated.” who has been a chief critic Some politicians use the sci- and others over the state’s
immunity COVID-19 sur- of virus rules, said at a sign- ence behind natural immu- requirement that everyone,
vivors have depends on how Studies also show that COV- ing ceremony for sweeping nity to advance narratives with few exceptions, show
long ago they were infected, ID-19 survivors who get vac- legislation to hobble vaccine suggesting vaccines aren’t proof of vaccination in order
how sick they were, and if cinated develop extra-strong mandates this week. the best way to end the pan- to register for classes in the
the virus variant they had is protection, what’s called “hy- demic. upcoming spring semester.
different from mutants cir- brid immunity.” When previ- The new Florida law forc- The case alleges that “COV-
culating now. For example, a ously infected person gets a es private businesses to let “The shot is not by any means ID-19 vaccination mandates
person who had a minor case coronavirus vaccine, the shot workers opt out of COV- the only or proven way out of are an unconstitutional in-
one year ago is much differ- acts like a booster and revs ID-19 mandates if they can the pandemic. I’m not will- trusion on normal immunity
ent than a person who had a virus-fighting antibodies to prove immunity through ing to give blind faith to the and bodily integrity.”
severe case over the summer high levels. The combination a prior infection, as well as pharmaceutical narrative,”
when the delta variant was also strengthens another de- exemptions based on medi- said Idaho Republican Rep. Another case, filed by work-
raging through the country. fensive layer of the immune cal reasons, religious beliefs, Greg Ferch. ers of Los Alamos National
It’s also difficult to reliably system, helping create new regular testing or an agree- Laboratory, challenges their
test whether someone is pro- antibodies that are more like- ment to wear protective gear. U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a workplace vaccine mandate
tected from future infections. ly to withstand future vari- The state health department, Kansas Republican and phy- for civil rights and constitu-
ants. which is led by Surgeon sician, along with 14 other tional violations, arguing the
The Centers for Disease General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, GOP doctors, dentists and lab has refused requests for
Control and Prevention re- The immunity debate comes who opposes mandates and pharmacists in Congress, medical accommodations for
ported in August that COV- as the country is experiencing has drawn national attention sent a letter in late September those workers who have fully
ID-19 survivors who ignored another surge in infections over a refusal to wear a face to the Centers for Disease recovered from COVID-19.
advice to get vaccinated were and hospitalizations and 60 mask during a meeting, will Control and Prevention, urg-
more than twice as likely to million people remain un- have authority to define ex- ing the agency, when setting A similar lawsuit from Chi-
get infected again. A more vaccinated in a pandemic that emption standards. vaccination policies, to con- cago firefighters and other
recent study from the CDC, has killed more than 770,000 sider natural immunity. city employees hit a bump
looking at data from nearly Americans. Biden is hoping The Republican-led New last month when a judge said
190 hospitals in nine states, more people will get vacci- Hampshire Legislature plans The White House has recent- their case lacked scientific
determined that unvacci- nated because of workplace to take up a similar mea- ly unveiled a host of vaccine evidence to support the con-
nated people who had been mandates set to take effect sure when it meets in Janu- mandates, sparking a flurry tention that the natural im-
infected months earlier were early next year but which ary. Lawmakers in Idaho and of lawsuits from GOP states, munity for people who have
five times more likely to get face many challenges in the Wyoming, both statehouses setting the stage for pitched had the virus is superior to
COVID-19 than fully vacci- courts. under GOP-control, recently legal battles. Among the rules the protection from the vac-
nated people who didn’t have debated similar measures but are vaccine requirements for cine.
a prior infection. And many Republicans eager did not pass them. In Utah, federal contractors, busi-
to buck Biden have embraced a newly signed law creating nesses with more than 100
“Infection with this virus, the argument that immunity exemptions from Biden’s employees and health care